Avatar: Eywa
by Andrew Pearson
Summary: Months after the supposed departure of the humans, the animals and plants of Pandora begin to act unusually. When the Na'vi people can no longer hear the voices of their ancestors, they turn to Jake Sulley to give them answers.


Avatar: Eywa

The sun set as dirt spilled into the hole in Pandora that housed Jake Sulley's body and he felt as if the sun was setting on a former life, a part of his soul. For an instance he again felt as if he were on earth at his twin brother's funeral, once again saying goodbye. Only this time he was saying goodbye to everything he knew: his family, friends, race, and even world. He was almost guaranteed never to return to earth, how could he? Earth's atmosphere was now poisonous to his body. As the last glimpse of his former self disappeared under the dirt, he felt a sudden chill run down his spin. Almost as if on cue, a brightly lit Atokirina' descended into the hole.

His ear twitched at the touch of Neytiri's hand on his shoulder. Her warmth of her gentle touch fought a tough battle against the pain of emptiness in his heart. Was this the right decision? He thought so, but now he couldn't be positive. Certainly he wanted to be with Neytiri, and certainly he wanted to walk, and certainly he wanted to live on Pandora; but still something in his mind wondered.

"How is your heart?" she whispered in his ear in her native Na'vi language. She embraced him from behind wrapping her arms around his chest. He felt her heart beat on his back, her breath on his neck, and her skin on his. He grasped her hand in his and sighed.

"It's hard," he said. "It all happened so fast and now it is all catching up to me." He tried to relax his muscles with a deep breath but still they felt jittery. "It's like I am watching my brother being buried all over again, but this time I realize it's my life I am burying." He turned around to face her, their brows touching, their eyes seeing. "And now I am born again into a new body, with a new life and a new family. Still, I wish you could meet them, my family. I don't see how though." His words trailed off into nothing.

For a moment, Neytiri considered explaining to him that his new family, the Na'vi, would fulfill his every need for being and definition, but she seemed to know it was not an appropriate forum. Saying goodbye to an entire state of being was something she, and everyone she knew, had little experience in. She would leave it to Eywa to solve this conflict in Jake's heart.

Once formed into a mound, Jake knelt by its side and prayed. Whether to God or Eywa, he did not know. All he knew was that it felt right to say something. It was difficult to draw a line between the death of his body and the life of his soul, and so he reconciled to praying to the death of his former self. "I need a new name," he muttered to the group standing around his grave. "Jake is burried here, I am no longer him. I have his soul, his heart, and his mind; but he is the old me."

"Jake," began Norm in English, "Jake, let's just take this slow. From a psychological standpoint, none of us really knows what this will do to you. And from a physiological perspective, your Avatar was never meant to be a permanent body. We'll need to do some tests to determine…"

Neytiri waved him off. "No. Not right now," she replied also in English. "Test later. Wrong time."

Norm opened his mouth to respond, but Neytiri's words seemed to ring true. Instead he sat and waited along with the others. He looked amongst those present: Jake, Neytiri, Mo'at and Max. "I've always liked the name Phil."

Neytiri and Mo'at both sneered at Norm, but Jake chuckled. "I was thinking I should choose a Omaticaya name, but thanks for the suggestion," Jake said with a smile. "You know, I never imagined I'd watch myself be buried," he said as he stood and stretched his arms. "It's getting late; you two should probably get back to Hell's Gate."

Norm and Max nodded their agreement. "Alright then," said Norm. "Come on Max." They turned and disappeared into the darkness shortly followed by Mo'at. Jake and Neytiri stood silently in the night as the sounds of the nocturnal creatures grew.

Finally Jake turned to her and spoke in Na'vi, "I'd like you to choose a new name for me. You see me like no one else."

"Jake, I…"

"Please, Neytiri. Please do this for me."

"If you wish."


End file.
